Friday, April 20

Why I Live in California Reason #2: Carrots

Despite grueling traffic, exorbitant real estate prices, and perpetual smog, Jeff and I have decided to stay in Southern California when he completes his residency in June. We have discussed this ad nauseum: we have wonderful families back in RI, the reimbursement is higher and the cost of living is lower there, and not to mention, there's no good Italian bread here.

There is no single reason we have made this decision, but one factor stands out above others: the weather. It's probably why most of the 15 million people who call Southern California home choose to live here. For Jeff and me, the second factor is one my food blog friends can appreciate: the produce.

Recently at our farmers’ market Jeff and I chatted with Neil, a local farmer, who is originally from London. (We adore London, the site of our honeymoon.) Curious why an aesthete Brit would move to Southern California, I asked Neil why he stays here.

“The weather,” he said. “I simply can’t live without the sun, and it’s sunny here all the time.”

“But don't you miss London with its rich history and culture?" I asked.

“Look, London is great,” he said, “but it’s always grey and rainy. In fact, I believe summer fell on a Wednesday there last year.”

Neil has a brilliant personality; so does his produce. He is from Weiser Family Farms where they sell organic, charismatic produce: blithe blue potatoes, cheeky green and purple cauliflower, and cheerful colored carrots.

Every week market-goers animatedly question him about his unique produce, which lately has included Jerusalem artichokes, Romanesco cauliflower, and crosne (Chinese artichokes, pictured below).

Neil, like so many farmers, is always informative; he teaches you about the produce and offers cooking tips and recipes as well.

Unlike the orange “baby”carrots you find in the supermarket, these “mini” or "rainbow" carrots are about 5-6 inches long and come in a variety of colors. Though delicious raw, I prefer to roast them, allowing their natural sugars to caramelize. They are enhanced with any variety of fresh herbs; for this recipe, I used savory fresh thyme and chives which contrast beautifully with the carrots’ sweetness.

Carrots are as healthy as they are delicious (as I learned from researching my Fit Fare post). They are powerhouses of beta carotene, an antioxidant that lowers your risk of cancer, as well as lutein, which promotes ocular health. If you're crazy about carrots, then check out the World Carrot Museum. Yup. There's a virtual museum for carrots with more than you'd ever care to know about the world's #2 vegetable (potato is #1).

I am submitting this post to the Meeta for this month's Monthly Mingle which features spring food.

I also wish to apologize to Tigerfish of the delicious Teczcape who tagged me a while back about a favorite food gem, to which I have not had the chance to reply. It's clear that Neil and Weiser Family Farms is a diamond among jewels and an easy choice for "favorite food gem."

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and peel carrots, and pat dry. (I actually leave the skin on since it is so tender and full of nutrients). Lay carrots on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Add chives, thyme, and salt & pepper. Toss well to coat. Roast for about 15-20 min., turning once. The skins should slightly brown and blister.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and honey until well combined. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Drizzle glaze over the cooked carrots, and garnish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh thyme and chives.

55 comments:

Don't you love our farmers markets?? every picture is beautiful, with that rich sunshine showering each piece of produce. I've recently (sad but true) discovered Fennel. Would you have any recipes you'd like to share?

Well, you've almost -- but not quite -- got this Rhode Island girl convinced about Southern California! Who could resist those beautiful carrots? And yet, today the sun is shining, and things are beginning to show signs of life in my herb garden, and it's hard to remember that a week ago we had snow!

Almost, but not quite, you persuade me. We thought about moving to southern California once (my husband grew up there) but couldn't do it -- the crowds and traffic were daunting. But the produce is a compelling factor. I am in love with jerusalem artichokes and those carrots are truly stunning.

I hardly ever have carrots any way but raw -- well, unless I'm using them in a soup or stew -- but your stunning picture and recipe have captivated me. Luckily, I have a bunch of those psychedelic babies in the fridge. Thanks.(Have you tried the crosnes? They're FUN.)

I love, love, love your produce photos in this post, Susan! Even though you have hundreds of other readers, I think of this blog as my personal good weather and colorful food fix. Look at those Romanesco cauliflowers!

I love the experience of living in different places. Each place has such lovely experiences to offer, as you illustrate here with Southern California. Ahhh.

Wow I've never seen carrots in colors other than the usual orange. Those carrots look fantastic! I don't even really like carrots and I want to eat those. Yum! Those carrots are definitely ones I would enjoy myself, rather than give to my bunny, well maybe I'll let him have a little nibble. :D

As for all the other gorgeous produce in your photos I've never even seen any of them. This is a sign that I need to go to more farmers' markets. :)

omg those carrots look wonderful! i HAVE to get to the farmers market on sunday, shame on me for not going yet this spring. i have always wanted to try these funny little artichokes too, i've read they are good pureed.pretty inspiring pictures!!

Susan, what a colorful array of vegies. I love going to the Farmer's Market. It's not just shopping - but it's a way to relax and simply do a bit of small talk with all the great Farmers there. I really enjoyed this post. Those carrots look wonderful!

Fantastic. I love those carrots and I can find them at Whole Foods in Dallas and Seattle. I always find it odd that so few people really appreciate carrots they are so sweet!Lovely post and yes your weather is nice. And when it's August in Dallas...well I try to be somewhere else.

i wish i'm so convinced to live in Southern CA again...but right now I'm happy in Oregon where bountiful farmer's markets are everywhere...:) those carrots are fantastic though, I'm glad you get to eat all wonderful produce year-round.

Susan, what beautiful photos -- and I am supremely jealous. While we can get some good stuff in the Big Apple, you leave the city limits and most of it looks pretty wilted. What I wouldn't give for one of those carrots!

What beautiful produce! I have never seen the chinese artichokes before, and the carrots look really incredible. Almost makes methink of relocating from Virginia (especially after this years weather-snow on Easter!). Thanks for making all us east coasters jealous!

In keeping with the Southern California theme, I rarely think of carrots in a starring role. They're always the leading man's buddy. But these carrots may change that view, especially with the chives to cut the sweetness. I'm curious--how do these taste pre-glazing? I almost think I'd like that better, again, because of the sweetness.

Oooh, between us we have a greeting card store worth of beautiful pictures snapped recently at markets ;-) I just adore those carrots. And I've never seen or heard of Chinese artichokes - are they similar to Jerusalem artichokes?? I'm fascinated.

Also interesting to hear about Neil's views on London. People think I'm difficult when I complain about the weather in London - kind of like "you have all this culture, what do yuo need sun for?". But the fact is that the greyness wears you down eventually - especially when you grew up like I did in a 9-months-of-summer climate similar to California. To me, sunshine is the default setting and clouds in the sky are a problem. I just feel happier, healthier and more myself when the weather warms up. I adore London and all it has to offer, but I know that ultimately I will have to move somewhere with a better climate!

I've never seen such pretty carrots! I love New England, but I am jealous of the California weather. I read so many blogs talking about eating locally and going to your farmer's market when it's February and March and I'm thinking, huh??!! Nothing is growing here yet!! **sigh**

I'm originally from Southern CA so I hear ya, the weather and produce cannot be beat! Although I do wonder whether New England has CA beat in the Fall apple department, with all those orchards that come alive just when the leaves start to drop! Unless, of course, you count weekend trips to Julian as part of your So Ca produce reality. :)

Hey Susan!This is my first time on your blog, and I'm SO happy I found it. It's funny - we have a few similarities in our life history: I'm Italian and I lived in North Carolina for a while, and I just moved to California a few months ago.. I love your blog and I agree with you about the beauty of California produces.I was actually just trying to start a food blog event called 'Fresh produce of the month', inspired from the abundance of lemons that I saw (and that I picked ip from a tree) here in California. If you would like to participate to it, I'd be reallly happy to see a post from you! The announce is on my blog on May 19th. Thanks :)